Author's father was Nazi officer

March 2, 2008|By Marcia Freidenreich Special Correspondent

During a "light bulb moment" when his children were asking about their heritage, Bernd Wollschlaeger, of Miramar, said he decided to tell them the truth - that he was raised in Germany, the son of a Nazi officer.

Recently, he shared his story during a lecture at the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center in Hollywood.

After telling his family, Wollschlaeger said he was asked to speak at his children's Jewish day school. Other speaking engagements followed and eventually the family practice physician wrote a book, A German Life: Against All Odds, Change is Possible.

"My story is not necessarily about me, myself and I, but about choosing between right and wrong," he said. "It's something every person goes through, and their choices sometimes must run counter to how they have been raised."

His father, Arthur Reinhold Wollschlaeger, a decorated German officer, was a Nazi tank commander, who fought in Poland, France and Russia during World War II.

After sustaining injuries, the elder Wollschlaeger was presented with the Iron Cross, which was pinned onto his uniform by Adolf Hitler.

As a child, the younger Wollschlaeger noticed that his family never talked about the war except on Christmas Day, when his father would tell of his military exploits and wear his Nazi uniform and medals.

In January 1979, after being strongly chastised by his father for watching Holocaust, an American Emmy Award-winning television miniseries, he began investigating the role his father had in the war.

He ultimately distanced himself from his family, converted to Judaism and moved to Israel. He later moved to the United States.

Go to www.agermanlife.com for information about Wollschlaeger or his book.

For information about the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center, Inc., go to www.hdec.org or call 954-929-5690.

INFORMATIONAL BOX:

If you go

Upcoming Meet the Author lectures at the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center at 2031 Harrison St. in Hollywood include:

March 16: 2:30 p.m., The Holocaust Remembered: A Child Survivor's Account of Imprisonment and Redemption by Leo Rosner